Monday, June 30, 2008
Don't Eat The Gum !
If you ever get the bright idea to try one of the old piece's of gum that come in the wax packs of old sports trading cards, please let me be the first and hopefully not the last one to warn you NOT TO! I guess opening an entire box of 18 year old hockey cards finally got the best of me. I'm not sure why I did it. Curiosity? Nostalgia? Maybe just to say I did it? Well I did do it. And I regret all 5 seconds of it. There wasn't even a bazooka gum-like taste that I was expecting. I could taste the CARDBOARD in the gum. Maybe plastic? It actually tasted like I chewed on an old notebook from my freshman year. Of HIGH SCHOOL, not college. It smelled somewhat like gum should smell but in the 18 years that it was prisoner inside that wax pack it had somehow morphed into something quite unrecognizable. It was crunchy and broke into what seemed like 30 tiny pieces in my mouth and then almost instantly started to turn into this sugar-saliva concoction hell-bent on destroying my taste buds. FOREVER! When you find yourself in the same position as I and the gum looks like, um, it might be O.K. - please think twice and refrain from putting that anywhere near your lips. Smell it if you like. No, check that, only smell it if you MUST. But definitely DO NOT EAT THE GUM! It will change your life. And not in a good way.
1989-90 Topps Hockey box break: packs 28-36. The last of the lot!
Pack #28
Brian Leetch RC 6.00
Grant Fuhr .50
Pack #29
Jari Kurri .50
Jeff Brown .50
Pack #30
Grant Fuhr .50
Dave Manson RC .50
Geoff Courtnall RC 1.00
Pack #31
Ron Francis .50
Grant Fuhr .50
Wow, ol' Grant is coming fast and Fuhrious! I know, that's pretty bad but 3 Fuhr's in the last 4 packs? Come on now, help a brother out with this last card!
Pack #32
Brett Hull 3.00
Cliff Ronning RC 1.25
O.K., so the chips are down. I'm really nervous. I've got only 4 packs left for card #156. Really, I only have 3 packs left because I'm saving one for my friend David. I like the second Hull but I'd gladly trade it in for #156.
Pack #33
Steve Yzerman 2.00
Brendan Shanahan .50
Pack #34
Ray Bourque .75
Ray Sheppard .50
Cam Neely .50 (another card that should be worth more, really)
Kirk McLean RC .75
Patrick Roy 2.00
Nice pack. Love the extra Roy and Bourque. Down to my LAST pack that I can open.
Pack #35
Ray Bourque .75
Cam Neely .50
Kirk McLean RC .75
Wayne Gretzky 4.00
Oh well, that's a good way to end it though. Neely, McLean and Bourque multi-packed together again. With a sweet Gretzky to boot. The multi-bunching of cards happened in at least 10-12 packs with certain players. Well I'm sure I can bribe David with the Ron Francis card as a trade for the missing #156 if I need to. the total BV on the STAR cards through 35 packs is a whopping $127.50! I'll update everything in the next post after D.L. opens his pack and we see what's inside. I'm going to check Beckett right now to see who the mystery missing card #156 is. At this point, I absolutely HAVE to know! Until next time . . . . Don't let YOUR Cardboard Obsession get the best of you!
Brian Leetch RC 6.00
Grant Fuhr .50
Pack #29
Jari Kurri .50
Jeff Brown .50
Pack #30
Grant Fuhr .50
Dave Manson RC .50
Geoff Courtnall RC 1.00
Pack #31
Ron Francis .50
Grant Fuhr .50
Wow, ol' Grant is coming fast and Fuhrious! I know, that's pretty bad but 3 Fuhr's in the last 4 packs? Come on now, help a brother out with this last card!
Pack #32
Brett Hull 3.00
Cliff Ronning RC 1.25
O.K., so the chips are down. I'm really nervous. I've got only 4 packs left for card #156. Really, I only have 3 packs left because I'm saving one for my friend David. I like the second Hull but I'd gladly trade it in for #156.
Pack #33
Steve Yzerman 2.00
Brendan Shanahan .50
Pack #34
Ray Bourque .75
Ray Sheppard .50
Cam Neely .50 (another card that should be worth more, really)
Kirk McLean RC .75
Patrick Roy 2.00
Nice pack. Love the extra Roy and Bourque. Down to my LAST pack that I can open.
Pack #35
Ray Bourque .75
Cam Neely .50
Kirk McLean RC .75
Wayne Gretzky 4.00
Oh well, that's a good way to end it though. Neely, McLean and Bourque multi-packed together again. With a sweet Gretzky to boot. The multi-bunching of cards happened in at least 10-12 packs with certain players. Well I'm sure I can bribe David with the Ron Francis card as a trade for the missing #156 if I need to. the total BV on the STAR cards through 35 packs is a whopping $127.50! I'll update everything in the next post after D.L. opens his pack and we see what's inside. I'm going to check Beckett right now to see who the mystery missing card #156 is. At this point, I absolutely HAVE to know! Until next time . . . . Don't let YOUR Cardboard Obsession get the best of you!
1989-90 Topps Hockey box break: packs 19-27
Pack #19
Nothing ! ! But hey, no Volek!
Pack #20
Cliff Ronning RC 1.25
Ron Hextall .50
Pierre Turgeon .75
Steve Yzerman 2.00
Pack #21
Before I open this pack I've decided no matter what happens, I'm going to save my buddy David 1 pack for sure to open up. Hopefully it doesn't come to that but I'm starting to worry a bit about the 2 cards I still need to complete the set.
Ron Francis .50
Only Francis in this pack. This must be a good omen. This one's going to D.L. for sure.
Pack #22
Nothing but a worthless OC Brian Leetch RC ! What a waste and yes, a bad omen strikes right back. Cardboard Gods, I beg of you. Send me some of that Mario Magic down to help me finish this set!
Pack #23
Steve Chiasson RC .50 (should be worth more IMO)
Ray Sheppard .50
Pack #24
Brian Leetch RC 6.00
Now that's more like it. Perfect little Leetchy.
Pack #25
Kirk McLean RC .75
Patrick Roy 2.00
Wayne Gretzky 4.00
Cam Neely .50
Ray Bourque .50
Cliff Ronning RC 1.25
card #34 is: Tom Laidlaw
Holy Cow! That is easily the pack of the box. I defy the Cardboard Gods to top it! Are you kidding me? Roy, Gretzky, Neely and Bourque? Also Mr. Laidlaw which leaves me ONLY 1 CARD SHORT for set completion! ! Card #156! Let's get it on!
Pack #26
Nothing to speak of.
Pack #27
Chris Chelios .75
Mike Vernon .75
$104.25 is the updated total BV of all STAR cards, 75% through the wax box. 9 packs to go and only in need of 1 lousy card. I can feel it. It's coming though.
Nothing ! ! But hey, no Volek!
Pack #20
Cliff Ronning RC 1.25
Ron Hextall .50
Pierre Turgeon .75
Steve Yzerman 2.00
Pack #21
Before I open this pack I've decided no matter what happens, I'm going to save my buddy David 1 pack for sure to open up. Hopefully it doesn't come to that but I'm starting to worry a bit about the 2 cards I still need to complete the set.
Ron Francis .50
Only Francis in this pack. This must be a good omen. This one's going to D.L. for sure.
Pack #22
Nothing but a worthless OC Brian Leetch RC ! What a waste and yes, a bad omen strikes right back. Cardboard Gods, I beg of you. Send me some of that Mario Magic down to help me finish this set!
Pack #23
Steve Chiasson RC .50 (should be worth more IMO)
Ray Sheppard .50
Pack #24
Brian Leetch RC 6.00
Now that's more like it. Perfect little Leetchy.
Pack #25
Kirk McLean RC .75
Patrick Roy 2.00
Wayne Gretzky 4.00
Cam Neely .50
Ray Bourque .50
Cliff Ronning RC 1.25
card #34 is: Tom Laidlaw
Holy Cow! That is easily the pack of the box. I defy the Cardboard Gods to top it! Are you kidding me? Roy, Gretzky, Neely and Bourque? Also Mr. Laidlaw which leaves me ONLY 1 CARD SHORT for set completion! ! Card #156! Let's get it on!
Pack #26
Nothing to speak of.
Pack #27
Chris Chelios .75
Mike Vernon .75
$104.25 is the updated total BV of all STAR cards, 75% through the wax box. 9 packs to go and only in need of 1 lousy card. I can feel it. It's coming though.
1989-90 Topps Hockey box break: packs 10-18
Pack #10
Mario Lemieux 4.00 (how appropriate, you know what I'm talking about Chuck Norris!)
Yikes! The Lemieux card has a slight gum stain (I told ya, didn't I?) on the back. It's not awful but I know it's there. This might keep me up all night. It is Lemieux after all. Oh, well. The front of the card is perfect. It is Lemieux after all.
Pack #11
Brian Trottier .50
Pack #12
Nothing. Nothing that is but David @#!*?%*#! ing Vokek! Please, will you just go away already.
Pack #13
Steve Yzerman 2.00
Tony Granato RC .50
Trevor Linden RC 1.25
The 3 Amigos packed together again in wax pack form.
Pack #14
Cliff Ronning RC 1.25
Jeff Brown .50
card #155 is: Ron Hextall
Only 2 cards left now to complete my set and not even half way through the box!
Pack #15
Mark Messier .50
BAM ! !
Another Joe Sakic RC 15.00
The value of the 2 Joe Sakic cards alone is almost enough to justify the $31 final auction price on this wax box.
Pack #16
Trevor Linden RC 1.25
Cliff Ronning RC 1.25
Tony Granato so far off-center (OC) that the .50 cent card is worthless
Over the years it seems that Topps Hockey cards in particular are notorious for their OC cuts. Especially the 70's and 80's.
Pack #17
Brian Leetch RC 6.00
Pierre Turgeon .75
Mike Vernon .75
Pack #18
Patrick Roy 2.00
Kirk McLean RC .75
Hey! Finally a Roy makes an appearance. My favorite goalie of all time. After 18 packs the BV on the STAR cards is up to $81.75 and I still need 2 cards for set completion. NEXT ! ! !
Mario Lemieux 4.00 (how appropriate, you know what I'm talking about Chuck Norris!)
Yikes! The Lemieux card has a slight gum stain (I told ya, didn't I?) on the back. It's not awful but I know it's there. This might keep me up all night. It is Lemieux after all. Oh, well. The front of the card is perfect. It is Lemieux after all.
Pack #11
Brian Trottier .50
Pack #12
Nothing. Nothing that is but David @#!*?%*#! ing Vokek! Please, will you just go away already.
Pack #13
Steve Yzerman 2.00
Tony Granato RC .50
Trevor Linden RC 1.25
The 3 Amigos packed together again in wax pack form.
Pack #14
Cliff Ronning RC 1.25
Jeff Brown .50
card #155 is: Ron Hextall
Only 2 cards left now to complete my set and not even half way through the box!
Pack #15
Mark Messier .50
BAM ! !
Another Joe Sakic RC 15.00
The value of the 2 Joe Sakic cards alone is almost enough to justify the $31 final auction price on this wax box.
Pack #16
Trevor Linden RC 1.25
Cliff Ronning RC 1.25
Tony Granato so far off-center (OC) that the .50 cent card is worthless
Over the years it seems that Topps Hockey cards in particular are notorious for their OC cuts. Especially the 70's and 80's.
Pack #17
Brian Leetch RC 6.00
Pierre Turgeon .75
Mike Vernon .75
Pack #18
Patrick Roy 2.00
Kirk McLean RC .75
Hey! Finally a Roy makes an appearance. My favorite goalie of all time. After 18 packs the BV on the STAR cards is up to $81.75 and I still need 2 cards for set completion. NEXT ! ! !
1989-90 Topps Hockey box break: packs 1-9
All "common" cards in this set have a book value (BV) of 10 cents. Yup, that's it. There are however numerous cards that have a BV of 25 cents as well. For the purposes of breaking this 1989-90 Topps Hockey wax box I will "pull" all cards with a BV of 50 cents or greater. These would be your more recognizable stars and acclaimed rookie cards (RC) and a good start to see whether or not I got my $$$ worth on this 18 year-old wax box.
Remember, my goal here is to complete my original set that I am currently 13 cards short. Anything after that is gravy. Also of note, I haven't yet checked to see exactly who the 13 players are that I even need. All I have are the card numbers off of my old list and they are 5, 34, 38, 43, 69, 84, 98, 115, 137, 140, 155, 156 and 193.
As soon as I find that 1 last card, I'm going to surprise my friend David and let him choose a pack of cards from what is left and let him keep whatever comes out of the pack. Secretly, I hope he pulls a Sakic RC. Not because he likes ol' Joe but the RC tag and the $15 it is worth would be a "thrill" and again, that is what it's all about. If I had to guess though, I'd say David would rather pull the 50 cent Ron Francis Hartford Whaler card though. 'Canes fan, what can I say?
Let's roll.
Pack #1
Chris Chelios .50
Wayne Gretzky 4.00
Jeff Brown .50
card #140 is: Mike Ramsey
card #137 is: Greg Millen
card #115 is: Dave Poulin
card #38 is: Andrew McBain (I'm a Penguins fan and I honestly don't remember this guy playing for us!)
Now that's a great start. Right out of the gates with a Gretzky and 4 cards needed to complete my set. This looks like it might be easier than I thought!
Pack #2
Zarley Zalapski RC .50 (great hockey name)
Brett Hull 3.00
Pierre Turgeon .75
Craig Janney RC .75
card #43 is: Jari Kurri
card #5 is: Denis Savard
card#84 is: Mike McPhee
Wow! A Hull and three more cards towards set completion! Like shooting fish in a barrel!
Pack #3
Ron Francis .50 (that's all this card is worth? David will be so disappointed!)
That's it. Now that is more like I expected.
Pack #4
Uh, oh. The first card facing me on the top of this stack is none other than the vaunted David Volek! This is a bad omen for sure. If you are a Penguins fan, I don't need to say another word. If you aren't then you can see what all the fuss is about here. And I assure you that I've added this link against my better judgement. I think I will burn this card. That'll make me feel better. For a hot second anyway.
Derek King .50 (why?)
Steve Yzerman 2.00
card #98 is: Wayne Presley
1 more towards set completion (5 more to go!) and a Stevie Y. I'll take that considering I was blinded with horror at the initial sight of Volek's ugly mug.
Pack #5
Trevor Linden RC 1.25
Tony Granato RC .50
Steve Yzerman 2.00
Derek King .50
Mark Messier .50
Hmmm, Yzerman and King together again. Makes you wonder how cards are actually sorted into packs "randomly".
Pack #6
Brendan Shanahan .50
Pack #7
BAM ! !
Joe Sakic RC 15.00
Joe Nieuwendyk .50
Well, it had to happen sooner or later. I'm glad I got the Sakic out of the way early. After only 7 packs, based on BECKETT BV, my STAR cards alone have surpassed in value what I initially paid for the entire wax box to begin with. $34.25, nice.
Pack #8
Jeff Brown .50
Pierre Turgeon .75
Brian Leetch RC 6.00
Jari Kurri .50
Kurri and Turgeon packed together again. Great to see the Leetch rookie show up.
Pack #9
Derek King .50
Grant Fuhr .50
And another Damn Volek card.
card #193 is: Rob Brown
On the back of the card it says he had 4 hat tricks in 88-89 amongst his 49 goal season. Thank you 66. I heard a rumor that Chuck Norris wears Mario Lemieux pajamas to bed. That's just what I heard Chuck. Feel free to verify that if you wish. Oh, by the way, take note Marian Hossa. You could be the next Robbie Brown! Stay and play with Sid and all your dreams will come true.
card #69 is: Dave Ellett
I think I've changed my mind. I'm going to a 9 pack wax post. I tend to ramble. Total book value of STAR cards after 9 packs is $43.00. I only need 3 more cards for set completion. NEXT ! ! !
Remember, my goal here is to complete my original set that I am currently 13 cards short. Anything after that is gravy. Also of note, I haven't yet checked to see exactly who the 13 players are that I even need. All I have are the card numbers off of my old list and they are 5, 34, 38, 43, 69, 84, 98, 115, 137, 140, 155, 156 and 193.
As soon as I find that 1 last card, I'm going to surprise my friend David and let him choose a pack of cards from what is left and let him keep whatever comes out of the pack. Secretly, I hope he pulls a Sakic RC. Not because he likes ol' Joe but the RC tag and the $15 it is worth would be a "thrill" and again, that is what it's all about. If I had to guess though, I'd say David would rather pull the 50 cent Ron Francis Hartford Whaler card though. 'Canes fan, what can I say?
Let's roll.
Pack #1
Chris Chelios .50
Wayne Gretzky 4.00
Jeff Brown .50
card #140 is: Mike Ramsey
card #137 is: Greg Millen
card #115 is: Dave Poulin
card #38 is: Andrew McBain (I'm a Penguins fan and I honestly don't remember this guy playing for us!)
Now that's a great start. Right out of the gates with a Gretzky and 4 cards needed to complete my set. This looks like it might be easier than I thought!
Pack #2
Zarley Zalapski RC .50 (great hockey name)
Brett Hull 3.00
Pierre Turgeon .75
Craig Janney RC .75
card #43 is: Jari Kurri
card #5 is: Denis Savard
card#84 is: Mike McPhee
Wow! A Hull and three more cards towards set completion! Like shooting fish in a barrel!
Pack #3
Ron Francis .50 (that's all this card is worth? David will be so disappointed!)
That's it. Now that is more like I expected.
Pack #4
Uh, oh. The first card facing me on the top of this stack is none other than the vaunted David Volek! This is a bad omen for sure. If you are a Penguins fan, I don't need to say another word. If you aren't then you can see what all the fuss is about here. And I assure you that I've added this link against my better judgement. I think I will burn this card. That'll make me feel better. For a hot second anyway.
Derek King .50 (why?)
Steve Yzerman 2.00
card #98 is: Wayne Presley
1 more towards set completion (5 more to go!) and a Stevie Y. I'll take that considering I was blinded with horror at the initial sight of Volek's ugly mug.
Pack #5
Trevor Linden RC 1.25
Tony Granato RC .50
Steve Yzerman 2.00
Derek King .50
Mark Messier .50
Hmmm, Yzerman and King together again. Makes you wonder how cards are actually sorted into packs "randomly".
Pack #6
Brendan Shanahan .50
Pack #7
BAM ! !
Joe Sakic RC 15.00
Joe Nieuwendyk .50
Well, it had to happen sooner or later. I'm glad I got the Sakic out of the way early. After only 7 packs, based on BECKETT BV, my STAR cards alone have surpassed in value what I initially paid for the entire wax box to begin with. $34.25, nice.
Pack #8
Jeff Brown .50
Pierre Turgeon .75
Brian Leetch RC 6.00
Jari Kurri .50
Kurri and Turgeon packed together again. Great to see the Leetch rookie show up.
Pack #9
Derek King .50
Grant Fuhr .50
And another Damn Volek card.
card #193 is: Rob Brown
On the back of the card it says he had 4 hat tricks in 88-89 amongst his 49 goal season. Thank you 66. I heard a rumor that Chuck Norris wears Mario Lemieux pajamas to bed. That's just what I heard Chuck. Feel free to verify that if you wish. Oh, by the way, take note Marian Hossa. You could be the next Robbie Brown! Stay and play with Sid and all your dreams will come true.
card #69 is: Dave Ellett
I think I've changed my mind. I'm going to a 9 pack wax post. I tend to ramble. Total book value of STAR cards after 9 packs is $43.00. I only need 3 more cards for set completion. NEXT ! ! !
1st post ! Break the box & complete the set!
O.K. , so when I came up with the idea of blogging my baseball and hockey card collection I was bound and determined that the subject of my first post would be the attempt at completing my 1989-90 Topps Hockey set. I thought that I would be able to set the blog up and have everything ready to post by the time the cards that I ordered arrived. Well, it didn't happen as the cards arrived today. I'll have to get to the details, specifics and background about my blog at a later date because right now I'm ready to open some WAX PACKS ! !
I'll start with some background information on this particular set but in order to avoid one VERY LONG post as I open the box pack by pack, I'll split the wax box into separate posts by half a box. Here's the specifics on the cards:
1989-90 TOPPS Hockey set
The complete set listing of cards are 1-198
Beckett book value (BV) on this complete set is $30.00 as of 6-30-08
The set-break value, that is, each card BV listed individually is $78.40
I have a list from, hmmm, I don't know, ten years ago (?) that shows I need 13 cards to finish this set off. (And I HAVE to finish this set! It's just sitting in my closet calling out to me, "You're not done yet! I know you can hear me!") See, obsession!
Before anyone calls this to my attention, I am well aware that these sets can be had for as little as $15 on E-Bay. I just didn't want to take the easy way out. The fun of collecting cards for me has always been the thrill of opening the packs yourself to see what you get and putting the entire set together yourself. But that my friends is a post for another day.
Key cards in this set include:
- Mario Lemieux $4
- Patrick Roy $2
- Cliff Ronning $1.25 Rookie Card (RC)
- Steve Yzerman $2
- Trevor Linden $1.25 (RC)
- Geoff Courtnall $1 (RC)
- Joe Sakic $15 (RC)
- Brian Leetch $6 (RC)
- Wayne Gretzky $4
- Brett Hull $3
There is also a Randy Cunneyworth "error" card in this set with a BV of $6. I'm not sure exactly what the error is and truth be told haven't taken the time to research it. Rest assured dear reader I will get to the bottom of this.
The age of most cardboard doesn't really occur to me (it should and you too), especially that of the 80's. My guess is that it is because I am so used to working with it, it's what I grew up on and what I have the most of. It seems just like yesterday but this set is 18 years old now believe it or not! Ask your parents or grandparents (no, really, ask them) they'll tell you all about it. You should listen too because in the blink of an eye, BAM!, that Wayne Gretzky rookie card is 28 years old. (Let that sink in for a second or two.) I guess my point here is, you know live every moment or something like that. Uh, o.k. so on to the
Wax box details:
- Acquired through E-Bay auction for $21.50, which in itself would be a great deal in my opinion but the shipping charges were $9.50 out of Philly for a total of $31.00 OUCH !
- Auction started at $9.99 and I beat out 3 other bidders. HAHA!!
- By the way, I could have bought 2 complete sets for the price of this 1 wax box but who's counting right?
- Wax box consists of 36 packs with 13 cards, 1 sticker and the obligatory stale piece of gum that somehow always finds a way to stain at least 1 good card per box.
- Price per pack of cards when released = 50 cents!
- Total cards in this wax box = 468
- Cards needed to complete my set = 13
Now laddies and gentlemen, on to the fun! Well, at least for me anyway.
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